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The undersigned, appointed by the Schwob School of Music at Columbus University, have examined the Graduate Music Project titled

State

A BEGINNING TEACHER'S GUIDE TO BEGINNER VIOLINISTS

presented by Anjuli Coe,

a candidate for the degree of Master of Music Education

and hereby

certify that, in their opinion,

it is

worthy of acceptance.

MUSE 6485 Graduate

A

Project:

Beginning Teacher's Guide to Beginner Violinists

Anjuli

Coe

Columbus

State University

Spring 2009

Table of Contents
Introduction

Beginning Teachers
Beginner Violinists

The Studio
Location
Liability Insurance

Advertising and Recruitment

Materials

Before the First Lesson

Initial

Meeting

Student Supply List

Sizing

Studio Policies
Student/Parent Contract

The Big

Picture

- What

to

Teach

Curriculum
Posture

Focus
Violin Hold

Bow

Hold

Fingering
Self-Discipline/Self-Efficacy

Guideline to Early Lessons

Lesson Plans
Student Practice Guide

What
Activity and

to

Teach

in Early

Lessons

Game

Ideas for Lessons

Hand Activities Hand Activities Movement Activities

Right
Left

Listening Activities

Theory and Sight-Reading Activities Other Activities

Activity Sources

Selecting Repertoire

Repertoire Sources

Administration

Payment Receipts
Progress Reports
Letters to Parents

Newsletter
Parent Conferences

Additional Research

References

'

Introduction

Beginning Teachers
In the following pages, the beginning teacher will find a guide to establishing a

studio and ideas for teaching students. These ideas are

meant

to

be a springboard for

developing personalized organization and teaching tools for the violin studio. Ability to
play the violin
is

not the only ingredient for a successful violin studio. Teaching the

violin requires skill in understanding students

and

how they

learn.

It

also requires a

significant

amount of planning, preparation, organization, and

the setting of goals

and

objectives.

Beginner Violinists
Beginner violinists
to a professional

may

vary from a four-year-old with highly involved parents,

trumpet player

who wants to expand

violin.

their musical experiences, to

an

elderly

woman who

always wanted to learn the

Students vary in personality,

learning style, physical ability, musical background, and personal history. These

differences should be understood and utilized by a skilled violin teacher.

With enough

dedication, practice, and creative instruction, any student can learn the basic skills of

violin playing

and musical concepts associated with violin playing.

Students should

become

familiar and proficient with the following skills during

2

the beginning stages of learning to play the violin.

Posture

Mental Focus

Starr,
"

W.

(2000). The Suzuki Violinist. Miami, FL:

Slone, K. C. (1985). They're rarely too young

Summy-Birchard Inc. p. 4-5 and never too old "to twinkle!" Ann Arbor, MI: Shar

Products Co. p.55-57

Violin Hold

Bow Hold
Playing
st
1

position fingers (in

all

combinations of half steps and

whole
a

steps)

Playing

all

4 strings

On

the string

bow

control (long bows, short bows, combinations in

rhythms)
String crossings

Slurs (up to 4 notes) and detache

Expressions (dynamics, accents, staccato, legato, tempo)

Theory

(treble clef staff, note durations,

music alphabet, some

vocabulary)
Parts of the violin and

bow
in this text that will allow the

Activities

and repertoire suggestions are provided

student to learn the skills listed above.

The following pages

will give a beginning violin

teacher a basic guide to establishing a program for beginning violin students.

The Studio
Location
There are many details a teacher should take care of before beginning to teach
private lessons.

The

first

of these

is

of course, location. There are positives and

negatives to most locations, which will be outlined in the following pages.

The Home

Studio:

Possibly the most convenient of locations, the

home

studio

is

an ideal choice for

teachers

who

live in

an accessible area. In

my experience, teaching
members who
are also

from home can be

during the

trying, especially if the teacher has family

home
pets,

lessons.

Normal events

that

go on such as cooking, noisy playing,

and the student.

and any family

drama can be

distracting for the teacher

The home
however,
there
is

studio

may be

considered less professional than other locations;

many

teachers chose this location for reasons of cost and comfort. Obviously,

no fee

to teach in a

home

studio and a teacher gets their choice of furniture and

decor.

Working from home

also has tax benefits because the teacher can deduct normal

house expenses as part of a home business. These deductions can include software,
teaching materials, books, instruments, subscriptions, and even insurance and retirement

plans.

Some

teachers are also able to deduct furniture for the studio and the depreciation
3

of their home.
In

my experience from teaching from a home

room

studio,

it

is

important to set up the

teaching space in a closed

or area separate from the rest of the house so the student

is

not exposed to distractions.

It is

also a

good idea

to provide a waiting

room

for parents

and siblings close

to the studio

and a guest bathroom.

The home

studio

is

a good choice for teachers

who

can maintain a professional

during a lesson.

appearance and attitude by giving a student

100% of their attention

Redfearn, B. (2005, July 12). 7 Benefits of Working At

Home. Retrieved April

i
i

21, 2009, from

nttp://ezinearticies.com/ ? /-t*enents-ot- wonting- At-Home&ia=:>

ju

Rented Studio:

Rooms
churches
5
.

available for rent are found in music supply stores,

schools, and

These types of rooms may not come with any supplies, such as music stands,
and a piano.
all

office equipment,

However, a portable keyboard can be brought

in,

as well

as a music stand, and

copies can be

made

before the lessons.

Renting a studio
in their

is

a good choice for teachers

who

cannot accommodate lessons

home, but teachers must take the

rental fee into account

when

setting

up lesson

rates.

Music School:
Joining an established music program provides advantages over both the

home

and the rented

studio.

Many of these programs

allow teachers to use their

own

curriculum under supervision of the program director(s), and being part of a community

of music teachers can be

benefit
is that

fulfilling in the personal life

of a teacher. Another significant

the school has staff that deals with

all

administrative duties including

advertising, payments,

and scheduling, which reduces the many responsibilities of the

rates as the

private teacher.

However, the teacher has no control over lesson

music

school usually charges pre-established fees.

The teacher
6

is

also required to pay a certain

percentage of those fees to the establishment.

"

For an example of a rented studio in a music store see '.vwv.atiai For an example of a rented church studio see www frcconservatc
.

For an example of a music school see

v. v. v.

.^yr.v^xx^w.

House

Calls:

occasionally teach in

my

students'

homes. Making house

in

calls is

very similar to

teaching in a

home
that is

studio.

When teaching

a student's home, a teacher should request a

private

room

away from

distractions in the

home and

prices should reflect driving

distance.

A teacher will also have to transport all supplies for the lesson.

This

is

an
to

option for a teacher

whose home cannot accommodate lessons and who does not want

pay a

fee.

Liability Insurance

A teacher may want to consider getting liability insurance to protect him or

herself in the event of a lawsuit. This
is

especially important if the teacher

is

teaching

from a home
will probably

studio. If a relative or friend is over

and they

fall

and break
if

their leg they

be covered by homeowners insurance, however,

a student

falls

and

breaks their leg this will not be covered by simple homeowners insurance since he or she a customer in your

is

home

business.

A teacher should look into getting general

liability

insurance for a small business or

home

business that will cover injuries and property

damage of customers and employees. Professional

liability

insurance will protect a

teacher in the case of lawsuits arising from student accusations of unprofessional or

damaging behavior on the

insurance
is

part of the teacher. Finally, errors or omissions liability

designed to protect someone

who

is

paid to give professional advice, like

feel the teacher is to

teaching privately. In very rare cases a student

in success

may

blame

for lack

on the

violin,

which can

result in the loss

of a job, audition, or competition. In

such cases, having error or omission

liability

insurance will cover a lawsuit that

may

arise

from such

situation.

Advertising and Recruitment

When

starting a

new

studio,

have found

that advertising is a must.

While many
of

teachers get students from

word of mouth promoting, waiting around

for this type

publicity can take years.

A private teacher in many ways is a salesperson, selling him or

is

herself as a qualified individual that

paid to produce results.

To

begin, find places to

post ads for free such as music stores, message boards, craigslist.com, restaurants, realtor

offices, local organization newsletters,

community

centers,

and the

library.

A teacher can
in the

also contact local private

and school music teachers to inform them of openings

little

studio.

For those willing to spend a

money, advertise

in the

newspaper or create a

webpage.

A teacher can also join an organization that will advertise a private studio,

such as Suzuki Association of America or American String Teachers Association. Once

a studio has several students, have

them

recruit their friends

and other family members

and have public concerts

at

a local church, the park, or the mall.

Materials
Preparing ahead of time with supplies and materials will help save time and

energy for

all

involved. Here

is

a general

list

of a violin teacher's studio supplies:

Ward,
Need.

S.

(2009).

New

York,

Home-Based Business Insurance: NY: New York Times Company.

Business Insurance All

Home-Based Businesses

Slone, K. C. (1985). They're rarely too young

and never too old

"to twinkle!"

Ann

Arbor. MI: Shar

Products Co.

p. 45,

52

Office Supplies:

Pens/pencils/markers

Colored pencils
Highlighters

Dry erase markers

Small dry erase board with staff

a a

Receipt book

Calendar
Student records notebook

Hole puncher D
Scissors

Tape
Teaching Aids:
Fingerboard tape

Corn pads
Rulers

Cardboard paper towel

Poster board

rolls

Shelf liner (that looks like wood)

d
d

Empty

VHS

cases

Thin dowel rod

Large rectangular erasers

Recording device (tape recorder,

mp3

recorder, video camera, etc.)

Rubber bands

10

Foam padding
Index cards
Pictures/diagrams of violin

Toys
Rewards- candy,
certificates, stickers

Books about music or

Furniture:

violins/violinists (for waiting area)

Mirror

Keyboard

Copy machine
File cabinet (to file music, contracts,

and other important papers)

Other supplies:

Band

aids

Tissues

Before the First Lesson

Initial

Meeting

When a

student

is

ready to begin lessons the

if the

first

thing

do

is set

up a meeting
is

with the student and parents,

student

is

underage. The purpose of this meeting

before the

to

answer any questions the student or parents

may have

first

lesson. This is a

good time

to share studio policies

and have students and parents sign a commitment

contract. This is also the time to

approve the student's instrument or recommend an

II

instrument provider.

Below

is

a checklist of what

like to

accomplish before and during

an

initial

meeting:

Before the meeting:

Email or mail a copy of your studio policies

to student or parents

and ask them

initial

to

read thoroughly and email or write out any questions they have for the

meeting.

Set the date, time, and location of the meeting and exchange cell

phone numbers.

During the meeting:

Introduce yourself; share your passion for teaching and playing the violin with your

student.

Ask any questions you have

for the student or parents.

Go

over studio policies thoroughly, answer any questions the student

may have

(see

Studio Policies below).

Have student and/or parent

sign a contract (see Student/Parent Contract below).

Examine provided instrument,

directions to a

if applicable,

or provide contact information and

recommended

provider.

Measure student
Provide a
list

to determine appropriate instrument size (see Sizing, below).

of materials for students to purchase and recommended providers (see

List).

Student Supply
Schedule the

first

lesson as the deadline to have instrument and materials ready to go.

12

Student Supply List

As mentioned

before, students should be given a

list

of materials for purchase

with recommended providers. The

list

will look different for various ages

and

abilities.

The following

lists

are materials that

require

my

students to acquire.

Early Beginner (preschool - kindergarten)

Box

violin (provided

by teacher)
teacher)

Dowel rod bow (provided by

Poster board foot chart (provided by teacher)

Classical listening

CDs

(all

kinds)

3 ring binder
sl

Other Beginners

grade - adult)

Violin/Bow
Rosin
Shoulder
rest

Music books
D

(as assigned

by teacher)

Classical listening

CDs

(include solo violin)

3 ring binder

Metronome
Music stand

Most of these supplies can be expected by

be made
helping
at the first lesson.
I

the

first

lesson,

and the box violin can

the process of

have found

that

young children enjoy

me make their box

violin.

The

activity allows the teacher

and child to bond over

13

a collaborative project.

It

also

is

a good idea to put a prize inside the box violin that can

be opened and received

when

the student graduates to a real instrument.

Sizing
Sizing an instrument than the instrument dealer.
a process that should be completed by the teacher rather

is

have found

that instrument dealers often size incorrectly, so

prefer to size

my own

students.

When

sizing an instrument, put the instrument under

the

jaw

in playing position

and have the student reach out with

their left

arm

until

it

is

straight.

At

this point,

varying schools of thought size the instrument differently.

Some
in the

teachers size instruments by having the end of the violin scroll touch

somewhere

wrist area,

which

is

the policy

ascribe

to.

If the scroll lands in the hand, the instrument

9

is

too large. If the scroll touches the forearm above the wrist the instrument

is

too small.

Other teachers prefer to have the violin

is

scroll fall in the

hand
10

to

make

sure the instrument

not too small and the student has

some growing room.

An effective way

to

mix

the

two viewpoints and

fingers around the

size an instrument is to

make

sure students are able to

wrap

their

end of the
in

scroll

while keeping a slight bend in the arm."

sizes,

When a

student falls

somewhere

between

choose the smaller size to eliminate risk of

injury that straining to play a larger instrument

may

cause.

10
11

As taught by Rebecca Sandrok, a string teacher in Chicago, IL. As taught by Manuel Diaz, a violin/viola teacher in Columbus, GA. Deverich, R. (2006). Choosing a Violin. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from
.

www.violinonline.com/criooseviolin.ritm

The following

is

a sample sizing chart:

Violin Sizes

Arm

Length
13"

in

Inches

1/32

1/16

14" - 15 3/8"
15 3/8"

1/10

-16

7/8"

1/8

16 7/8" - 18 1/2" 18 1/2" - 20 3/8"

%
Vi

20 3/8" 22 1/4"

-22

1/4"

y4
4/4

-23

5/8"

23 5/8"

& Up

Studio Policies
Studio policies are a document explaining expectations and rules for students and
parents in private lessons. This

document should

also discuss important information such

as

make up

lessons, canceling lessons, attendance policies,

payment information and due

I

dates,

and withdrawal

policies.

The following pages

are a sample of the studio policies

have

in

my own studio:

Retrieved April

2,

2009 from www.student-violins.com/Violin-Sizes.html

Anjuli

Coe Violin Studio Information and Policies January 2009

Contact Information <Lmail>

<Phone>
<Studio Location (address)>
Feel free to contact

me

anytime with questions.

Private Lessons
Pricing

30 minute lessons: $60/mo. (includes

hour lessons: $120/mo. (includes

half hour lesson a

week

for

4 weeks)

hour long lesson a week for 4 weeks or 2 half hour

lessons per week)

Payment

is

due the

first

lesson of each month.

Prices are adjusted accordingly for holidays and

5-week months.

Attendance and Cancellation Policy

Make up
up.

lessons will be scheduled for any missed lesson as long as prior notification

is

given. Last minute cancellations and absence without prior notification will not be

made

Refunds

will not be given for

missed lessons that are not made up.

Teacher cancellations will be made up or refunded.

Assessment
I

will

be giving weekly assessments based on preparation level and weekly practice

I

hours.

may

also give out additional assignments based

I

on the needs of each individual

student that will be assessed.

will provide a formal evaluation report to the participant

each semester,

if

requested.

House Calls
I

am

available to teach lessons in any residence within reasonable driving range.

all

Parents/Students are responsible for

details

and arrangements.

Pricing

Same

as

above but w/ mileage based on current gas

prices.

Cancellation Policy
Please notify

me

at least if

24 hours

in

advance

if there is

a location change and at least 2

hours in advance

a lesson needs to be cancelled or rescheduled.

Make up

lessons will

be given for cancellations with prior notification.

last

Make up

lessons will not be given for

minute cancellations or absence without prior notification. Refunds will not be given

for lessons not

made

up.

Teacher cancellations will be made up or refunded.

Parent or Guardian Participation

Parent or guardian presence and participation are important and strongly suggested for

young

students. Parents

practice and take notes during the lesson.

child in order to

and guardians are also encouraged to assist students in their They will be given instructions along side their best assist them during the week.

Parents, siblings,

and other guests are welcome to observe lessons as long as they do not

disturb the student.

Recitals

and Other Performances

Students are required to perform in one formal recital per semester. Other concerts and
recitals

may

be scheduled throughout the semester.

Optional community service concerts will be arranged around the Christmas holidays in
local nursing

homes,

hospitals,

and

shelters.

Instruments and Other Materials

It is

the responsibility of the student to provide instruments and other materials as

directed by the teacher.

Required materials:

Violin in working condition (and correctly sized for the student) changed every 6 months to a year.

strings

must be

Violin bow-

bow hair must

be changed every 6 months to a year.

Music booksMetronome Music stand

Rosin

as assigned by the teacher.

Shoulder pad (as recommended by the teacher)

Soft cleaning cloth
3-ring binder

for lesson notes, practice charts,

and additional assignments.

17

Recommended suppliers: www.Shar.com (instruments,

supplies, strings)
strings)

www.swstrings.com (instruments, supplies, www.hutchinsandrea.com (music)

Practice and Preparation

Since music

is

a discipline, as well as a rewarding activity,

I

require

my

students to

practice six days a week.

the ability of the student.

do not have a required amount of time, since it is based on With younger students I may establish a set time with
I

recommendations from

their parents but older students

I

expect to practice as long as

they need to in order to accomplish what

assigned to them.

try to

make

reasonable assignments each

is

week based on
I

the abilities of

my

students. If
is

the assignment

not completed satisfactorily

will be left to

assume the student

not

adequately prepared for his or her lesson.

If there are

unique circumstances preventing practice and preparation

it

is

the

responsibility of the student to

lesson.

make

those

known

to

me

prior to the beginning of the

Students should feel free to contact

clarification or advice rather than

me

if
I

they are having trouble with practicing or

rather

if

they do not understand an assignment.

would

know ahead of time

so

can offer

having to repeat myself unnecessarily during the

lesson.

Contracts
Establishing a contract between student and teacher
is

valuable in

many ways.

have found that having a student sign a contract places emphasis on the commitment
expected of the student in preparing for lessons.
certain time

prefer to have students

commit

to a

amount

in their contract, such as the school year or a single semester, so

can count on that income for that amount of time.

not to have a set

have met other teachers

who choose

amount of time

in their contract

because of issues associated with asking

that

students to

commit

that far in advance.

have found

making a commit

to a certain

amount of time can reduce the urge

to quit the violin

by providing incentive for

continuing past those frustrating or difficult times.

IX

Always keep

in

mind

that this contract can

be broken for special circumstances

such as a parent or student loosing their job or moving, or the teacher dismissing the
student for behavioral reasons.

A contract should include the following sections:

studio policies and agreeing to abide

a statement of understanding the

by

them, and a section for time

commitment

(optional). This

can be attached to the studio policies or presented separately during the

initial

meeting.

The following

is

a sample of a contract

usually attach to the end of my studio policies:

Studio Contract
(name), have read and understood the studio policies

/,

and agree

to

abide by them. I also commit to remain enrolled in the studio until

(month/year).

Signed:
(student)

(parent/guardian)

The Big
Curriculum
I

Picture

- What

to

Teach

designed the following guide to give

me

an overall sense of the content and

skills that

wanted

to teach. This guide helps

me to

keep everything

teach in

perspective. Following this guide or using a similar guide will help a teacher establish
w

'big picture" goals

and share these goals with students and parents. This guide can be

printed out and included in the student notebook as an easy reference.

Music Standards for Beginning

Violinists'

cU rriculu4,
Guide

The student

will...

Participate in a variety of musical experiences as a

means of

studying the elements of music

Play music from a variety of genres

Assess and discuss performances using music terminology

Demonstrate appropriate performance behavior both as a

listener

and participant

CONNECTIONS TO OTHER
DISCIPLINES

INSTRUCTION: The

following skills and concepts will receive

priority in instructional time so that the student can successfully

CARRER
PREPARATION:
violinists, teachers,

progress to the next level of learning.

Violin Technique: Students will learn correct posture, violin

hold, and

bow

hold. Students will learn

first

all

combinations of

commercial musicians,
music
therapists, recording

fingerings in the

position.

Students will learn various

technicians, and

many

bowing techniques. Pitch and Rhythm: Students

pitches that
sl

will recognize
all strings,

and notate
students will

fall in

position on

ENGLISH/LANGUAGE
ARTS:
in the

learn basic rhythmic notation, students will experience

expressive
literature

different meters.

communication,

form of song, music

criticism

Expression and Structure: Students will learn form in relation to repertoire, dynamics, tempo, phrasing, and
musical terms and symbols.
Literature: Students will play literature from a variety of
genres, students will perform solos, solos with

vocabulary, constructive

HISTORY/SOCIAL
STUDIES:
historical

accompaniments, and duets.

context of music literature,

social context

Vocabulary: Students
symbols.

will learn basic musical terms

and

of music

literature

HEALTH/PHYSICAL EDUCATION: movement

to music, coordination,

LIFE SKILLS:

Self-Discipline

Self-Respect
Self-Efficacy

balance, posture, core

support, endurance

Responsibility

MATHEMATICS:
subdivision of time into
fractions,

Time Management
Increasing Vocabulary

rhythmic

notation

Problem Solving Memorization

Following Directions

SCIENCE:

acoustics and

other physical properties

Observing

of sound, body mechanics

used
in violin

playing,

Forming Constructive Criticism and Opinions Keeping Records

Cooperative

effects

of weather on

Team Work

instrument

Public Speaking

Performing

Based on national standards

standards-for-music-education

for

music education as

listed at

www.menc.org/resources/view/national-

'

20

Posture

The

first skill

a student learns at the beginning level

is

posture. Posture

is

arguably the most fundamental element in the rate and quality of success for a beginner
student. Posture

and the relationship between the body and the violin

violin pedagogues. Oftentimes, teachers focus

is

a growing field

of interest

among

on technical
4

abilities in

their students

and neglect the core foundation of balanced posture.'

Susan Kempter (2003), a well known violin pedagogue, discusses

the majority of the initial lessons with beginners

how

she spends

on posture. Kempter claims

that posture

is

such a fundamentally important

skill to

have that she will not have students play a

met, which she calls the "Basic 6." The

single note

on the violin

until certain criteria are

six basic elements

of posture she requires are

the

in relation to foot

placement, the angle of

the trunk of the

body including
left

backbone and

pelvis, a relaxed neck, a correct

bow

hold, a relaxed

hand, and a quiet yet attentive demeanor. She includes demeanor as

an element of posture because she holds that the mind and body are intricately connected

and dependent on each other.

always emphasize good posture

in posture

in the early stages

of a violinist's development.

have found that flaws

is

can create problems in technical development because

to

the muscular system

thrown off balance, not

mention the potential of developing

serious injury such as tendonitis or chronic back pain, both of which plague

many

violinists.

Kempter, S. (2003). How Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard Music Kempter,

in

Mind.

S.

(2003).

How

Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body

8.

in

Mind.

Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard Music,

21

In light

of the former discussion

use the following procedure to ensure that

my

students learn and maintain correct posture.

Have
feet,

the student stand facing the teacher

with body evenly aligned and balanced over

student take several deep breaths to

which are placed together. Have the

make

sure his or her muscles are relaxed.

You may

also have the student stretch or stand against the wall to achieve the natural positioning of

the body.

Once

this is

accomplished, teach the student the proper placement of his or her

feet together

feet in rest position

and playing position. Rest position requires

while

playing position requires the feet slightly turned outward with the

left

foot placed

outward so

that both feet line

up with the edge of the shoulders. The

if
it

left

foot can be

angled in the direction of the violin scroll

important point to remember

is

more comfortable

for the student.

An

is

that not every student is built the

same way physically so

each student will have their

own

variation in

what

is

generally considered good posture.

The key here

is

to

make

sure the student

is

using his or her body as naturally and

comfortably as possible, with the head balanced, the shoulders relaxed, the trunk centered
over the pelvis, and the feet comfortably placed to accommodate the natural sway of the
body.
It is

important to remember that posture

is

an element to violin playing that should

always be awarded attention in lessons and practicing.

Mental Focus
Mental focus
is

an important concept to learn because

have found

that students

who can
to

stand quietly and engage his or her

mind

in his or her actions is better

equipped

be successful in his or her efforts

rates increase

at

music making. The reasons for

the brain with the

this are as follows:

improvement

when one engages

body because a person

22

is

not just memorizing muscle

movements but

learning to control those

movements

consciously through signals from the brain; focusing allows a student to not only prepare
their brain

and body for a performance but also allows for a student and helpful self-evaluation of their playing.
that
16

to listen well

enough

to

form a
I

realistic

have found

when a

student can hear what they are going to play before the

bow

plays the string

it

greatly increases their chances of playing correctly.

insist that

my

students stand for at least ten seconds in playing position with their

bow on

the strings

and take two deep breaths before beginning

sing silently in their heads the
first

to play their instrument.

encourage them to
will sound,

notes they will play and imagine

how

it

then

ask them to copy the sound they hear in their head.

have used

this

technique

successfully with very active and energetic preschoolers and with a high school student

with

ADHD.
In

my experience, having students listen to quality

recordings of various pieces on

their instrument increases the quality

of their "imaginary playing," as they are exposed to

quality sounds

made by

professionals. Because of this,

encourage

my

students to listen

to recordings

and attend concerts

it

to

improve

their idea

of how they want to sound.

Finally,

is

important to have students focus after they finish playing for a

teach

moment of self-evaluation.

my students to
move

stand in playing position a few

seconds after they finish playing and quietly

to rest position.

Afterwards

have

students give feedback concerning their performance rather than immediately jumping in

with comments and criticisms.

It is

important for students to develop the ability to

Kempter, S. (2003). How Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard Music.

in

Mind.

23

critique

and teach themselves

in the lesson so

you know they are capable of doing so

outside the lesson.

On a

side note, never allow a student to criticize their playing using negative

terminology. Instead, encourage positive attitudes and remarks, using appropriate

musical terms. Once a student begins to view themselves as inadequate or a failure

it

can
17

be very

difficult to

move them beyond

that learning

those feelings, even

if

they improve in ability.

Remember

new

skills

involves practice and concentration and can be

often remind

a potentially frustrating experience for students.

my students that
body on cue and

practicing

is

basically time spent training the brain to send signals to the

to

have the body respond as quickly as possible.

give analogies such as a baby learning

to turn a doorknob.

At

first

the

baby watches someone open a door and

that

tries to

open a

door but

fails.

Finally, the

baby figures out

he has to turn his wrist

at

a certain speed

and elevation

in order to rotate the

knob and open the door. Once

and turn the knob
it

the baby's brain

practices telling his wrist to rotate

slowly becomes automatic.

As an
their

activity,

have students

try

something

difficult, like patting their

head and rubbing

belly at the

same

time.

encourage them to "feel" their brains working as their bodies

try

to sort the signals out.

Then,

have them

try the

new

skill that is

giving them trouble and

"feel" their brains

communicating with

their bodies.

also

remind them

that learning

new

skills takes practice

and sometimes works your brain

to the point

of a headache, but

the rewards are worth the hard work.

Ivan Galamian, a renown violin teacher, says "what

not the physical

is

paramount

in

importance

is

movements

as such but the mental control over them.

The key

to facility

17

Starr,

W.

(2000). The Suzuki Violinist. Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard, Inc., 9

24

and accuracy and, ultimately,

the relationship of

to

complete mastery of violin technique

is,

is to

be found

in

mind

to muscles, that

in the ability to

make

the sequence of mental

1

command and
Young

physical response as quick and precise as possible."

children typically have a difficult time concentrating

19
I

on one task

for long

periods of time.

believe

it

is

the responsibility of the teacher to regularly change

activities

and tasks
if the

in creative

ways
is

to

engage a child's attention and

interest.

For

example,
the

goal of a lesson

to teach the child

how to

play long

bows while keeping

of the lesson
to

bow

in the right part

of the string and keeping

it

straight, the majority

should be spent doing

sure

bow exercises
activities as

that teach this concept.

However, you want

make

you have as many

is

you can think of ready

to

be applied as needed so
if the activities are all

there

enough variety
skill.

for the child's

mind

to

engage

in,

even

teaching the same

have observed many teachers

who spend

so

much time

correcting during each

lesson that they forget to put responsibility on the student for the correction by

making
I

sure the student understands the concentration

it

takes to correct their

own

mistakes.

have noticed that

if

you can teach your students

to focus,

you

will find they will begin to

teach themselves and improve.

18

Galamian,
Ruff, H. A.

I.

(1985). Principles of Violin Playing

&

Teaching.

Ann

Arbor, MI: Shar Products Co., 4

during free

Lawson, K. R. (1990). Development of sustained, focused attention play. Developmental Psychology, 26, 85-93.

&

in

young children

25

Violin Hold
Strongly related to posture, learning to hold the violin properly
the success of a student.
20

is

a key element in

Establishing correct posture and violin hold in the beginning

stages of learning the instrument will save the student time from having to correct bad

habits later, as

have learned from

insist that the

my own experience

as a violin student.

always

instrument always comes to the student rather than the

student going to the instrument.

the posture problems that arise

have found that

this basic

concept eliminates some of

their

from a student reaching out with

neck or leaning

towards the instrument.

realize the

body has

to

accommodate

slightly unnatural

movements while playing

the violin, such as turning the neck and holding the

arms up

constantly, but generally speaking the core of the

body should be as
towards the
left

if the

student

was not
heavily

holding an instrument. The head should also

tilt

shoulder and

sit

upon the chin

violin to hold

rest

with the jaw. The neck, shoulder, and jaw should not be squeezing the

it

but rather using the weight of the relaxed head and neck to secure the

instrument to the shoulder,

much

like a

paperweight rather than a clamp. The violin

should be held parallel to the floor and positioned halfway between the center of the
chest and the
shoulder.

left

The

scroll

should point

in the direction

of the nose and

left

toe (if the student's comfortable standing position

is

with the

left

foot slightly turned out).

Like

all

elements of posture,

have observed

that this looks different for every student.

teach the violin hold using what

refer to as the Statue

of Liberty analogy. This

is

a five step process beginning in rest position (step one). Step two takes the violin neck
straight out to the left side.

and extends the violin

Step three

is

turning the wrist and

Starr,

W.

(2000). The Suzuki Violinist. Miami, FL: Summy-Birchard, Inc. p. 53

26

violin to

make

the button point straight up. Step four brings the violin to the shoulder and

step five turns the neck

and clamps the jaw on the

violin.

Bow Hold
The bow should be held
equipped for the various
in a flexible

and natural looking hand

21

that is best

bow
I

strokes that exist in violin repertoire.

With

my

preschool

and elementary students

begin with teaching what

call the

Thumper bow

hold.

Thumper's
the

teeth are

made by
is

the middle and ring finger with the index and pinky being

bunny

ears.

The thumb

Thumper's jaw
it

that is

always bent, which can be referred

to as a

"Tarzan Chin", because

looks like the exaggerated chin of the cartoon character,

joint of the

Tarzan. The jaw joins the teeth under the

the carrot (bow) in order to hold

first

middle

finger.

Thumper

bites

it

steady.

Another analogy
pool.

that

use with

my

students of all ages

is

a family going to the

The baby (pinky)

is

too young to

swim

so he plays outside the pool, the ring and

middle fingers jump in the pool, and the index finger dips his

feet in the pool. This

analogy helps students visualize the positioning of the fingers on the bow.

Fingering

When teaching the

make

left

hand there are only a few points

to

remember. Always
that

sure the student maintains the correct

body posture.

have found

beginning

students tend to neglect their posture

when

focusing on placement of the fingers and

playing in tune.

also constantly monitor students' left hands to

make

sure they play

with correct and relaxed positioning.

21

When
&

students start to get tense and squeeze the

Galamian,

I.

(1985). Principles of Violin Playing

Teaching.

Ann

Arbor, MI: Shar Products Co., 45

27

violin neck while they play,

point out that they are squeezing the

life

out of their violin

and instruct them

to

imagine that the violin neck

is

the neck of a kitten or puppy. In

regards to positioning,

make

sure the student keeps their wrist straight and

thumb

in line

with the index finger. The remaining fingers hover over the fingerboard in ready position

to

be dropped

at

any moment, which

refer to as "umbrella fingers" or "helicopter

fingers," as

your fingers are hovering over the

straight up.

strings, as

opposed

to "rocket fingers"

which would be standing

There are many

left

activities

you can teach

that

encourage correct positioning of the

fingers to the string at

hand. For example,

have students drop specific

parts of the

my

direction without

moving any other

on the
string,

hand or other

fingers.

also have students tap their pinky

which forces the other fingers

to hover.

begin by teaching the index finger,

to

known

in the violin

world as

first finger.

do not put tapes down

mark

the location of the pitch, instead

have students

start

on an

open

string pitch

and sing a whole step on "do,

it

re."

This teaches them to hear and sing

the pitch before they find

with their finger. This

is

slow and painful work

that takes

patience but in the end

is

worth teaching the student to hear pitch on their instrument.

fingers, "mi, fa, sol". Eventually,

do the same thing when introducing the other

once the

student can sing the pitches and find those pitches with relatively accurate intonation,

may add

tapes to speed up the process of learning repertoire, if necessary. If tapes are

necessary,

remove them within

six

months

to the first year so that

my

students can

begin more disciplined work on hearing intonation.

necessary to insure the student
fingers

also

remove tapes

earlier if

is

actually hearing pitches rather than just placing their

on the

tapes.

Students that have a more musically developed ear

may

not need

28

tapes or

may

only need tapes for a short time, while other students

may have trouble

hearing pitch and

may need

tapes to train their ear as well as their eyes.

Self-Discipline/Self-Efficacy

have found that students

who

are able to develop self-discipline and self-efficacy

(also

known

as the ability to learn independently), are

more

successful in learning the

violin.

A student who

is

not encouraged to be self-disciplined will have trouble

persevering through learning and practicing difficult skills and

may end up

giving up and

withdrawing from lessons. This

is

skill that

should be taught in collaboration with

parents to the younger students. Teachers should explain to parents that they should help

with practice, but should also give the student gradually increasing amount of
responsibility in

remembering and completing assignments

to build their self-discipline.

As

discussed in the sections before, the ultimate goal of the teacher should be to train
strive to give

their students to teach themselves.

my

students opportunities through self-

assessment and journaling to grow in their ability to learn independently.

29

Guideline to Early Lessons

Lesson Plans

Most of the

private teachers

have observed do not prepare lesson plans, which

consider to be a weakness in the profession. Especially in the early lessons,

that preparing lesson plans provide the

have found

framework necessary
I

to

smoothly transition
that

between
students

skills

being taught and accomplish goals.

faster

have also discovered

many

work

and have more productive practice time when they have a pre-set

goal or objective, rather than just playing what they have been working on and getting

new

assignments.

When choosing objectives or goals,

in

keep the age and development of the student

is

mind and plan

appropriately.

identify a goal that

challenging but not frustratingly

difficult to

accomplish

in the

time frame allowed. Use a template (see the sample

provided on the following page, that

direction without

designed for

my own

studio) that provides

removing

flexibility

and creativity within the teaching process.

30

Lesson Plan Template

Student Name:
Date:

Lesson Objective
In this section the teacher identifies the

Teacher Preparation
This section
is for

the teacher to write out

goal for the lesson.

What is it that the student should know? What skills should he learned? What questions should he
answered?

any preparations needed such as personal

practice, copies to be made, materials

needed, teaching aids to be created,

etc.

Opening

Activity

Instead ofjust jumping right into assignments, start with an activity such as
listening
violin, violin.

Assess

and moving,

spelling

or echoing different

words on the rhythms on the

the opening For example: Did the student echo hack the right rhythms? Did the student move to the beat? Basically, did learning occur?
activity.

Comments/ Assessment how the student did in

Technique/Warm-up
Even
the youngest students should have

warm-up activity that represents stability and procedure in their practice and lessons. This is where scales, etudes, bowing
exercises, etc. are listed.

Comments/Assessment how the student did while performing their warm-up and technique. For example: Did the student focus during warm-up? Was there improvement in
Assess
technique?

Review List former assignments you wish to review.

in this section that

Assess review.

from the

Comments/Assessment Was there improvement last lime this was performed in lesson? Did student practice review
material?

New

Repertoire
list

Comments/Assessment
the piece

In this section,

you are

Assess the progress of new material. Did

the student meet your expectations

currently working on with the student

any

specific things

and you are looking for.

on

preparation?

Assignments
Simply copy student assignments for next week in this section so you have a record of what to plan around for the next lesson.

Weeklv Evaluation
Give your student an evaluation of overall
preparedness, focus and improvement in
lesson,

and behavior.

31

Student Practice Guide

Each week

provide

my

students with an organized practice guide that lets

them

know what

is

assigned and what

is

expected

at the

next lesson. The following practice

guide allows space for assignments and teacher instructions as well as a place for students
to log practice time.

print out copies

of this guide and place them

in

each student's

notebook. For younger students, making a check or x marking under days practiced
suffice but older students should log the

may

amount of time

spent. For example, if a student

practiced their scale for

minutes on Monday, under

it

should say

0" or

min.

etc.

Use the sample provided on the following page

as a template.

32

Violin Assignments

Date:

Warm-Up

Technique

Review

New

Repertoire

Other/Listenine Loe

33

What

to

Teach

in

Early Lessons
are

The following

my

suggestions for information to cover in the

first

eight or so

lessons, organized by grade level.

The suggestions

are

meant

to be a general guide for

lesson topics and objectives that have an age appropriate flow and sequence.

When
in

teaching each of the topics below, utilize the

the next section to add depth to a lesson.

many

activity

and game ideas provided

Have lessons follow a systematic flow based on

the lesson plans provided above, and be sure to allow adequate review and practice time

when
paces,

a student

is

learning a

new

skill.

Understanding that students learn

at different

some of these
completed
in

lessons

may be expanded

over several weeks and others

may

be

easily

one lesson.

Preschool-Kindergarten:

In

my experience with the youngest

students, the key

is to

have parents involved

to

in both the lesson

and weekly practice time. These students are probably too young

remember

the details of what they are supposed to practice, especially during the

first

few

weeks, so they need their parents to remember for them. The basic
are focus, posture

skills to start learning

and

how to

hold the instrument properly. Interspersed within these

first

lessons should be a variety of games and activities that not only

make time go by

smoothly but teach important concepts

in

music/

The

First

Lesson:
z3

Create box violin with student, include secret prize

Slone, K. C.

985). They

're

rarely too

young and never

too old "to twinkle! "

Ann

Arbor, MI: Shar

Products Co.
~J

p.

8-22

Instructions for

making a box violin: taken from Emily Williams, a Fill an empty VHS case with tissue Cover with shelf liner (preferably faux wood)

violin/viola teacher in

Wheaton, IL

34

Explain

how

student will graduate into real violin once they have learned

to hold their

box

violin correctly
24

Create foot chart,

playing position

having student practice standing

in rest position

and

Begin focus lessons by providing an object (stuffed animal)

to stare at

while listening to a short recording or the teacher playing a piece

Practice Assignments: Stand

on foot

chart, listen to recording while

watching a specific object several times a day (one time for each year of
child's life)

The Second Lesson:

Re-teach and review
first

lesson

Give student box violin

to take

home
rest

Adjust and attach sponge for shoulder

on

violin if needed

Teach playing position with box

violin,

have parent place instrument

under child's chin and check posture

Have
music

child hold violin with chin while focusing

on object and

listening to

Teach child

how to remove

violin

from under chin and place

in rest

position with correct rest position feet

Instructions for

Glue ruler to top of box making a dowel rod bow:

violin in proportion equal to a fingerboard

also taken from

Emily Williams

24

Have dowel rod

cut to proportions of a violin

bow, attach large eraser as the frog

by tracing each student's feet on a large piece of poster board in rest position and playing position (one on top of the other). The goal is to show students where their feet should be when resting and playing.
1

make

foot charts

35

Practice Assignments: Stand on foot chart, place violin in playing position

and resting position, hold violin under chin while listening to music for as

many

times as the child's years.

The Third Lesson:

D
Re-teach and review second lesson

Teach bow hold

Have

student pick up

bow and

adjust their

bow

hold with parent's help

Teach poem, "Up

D

like a

Rocket" (see right hand activities)

Practice Assignments: Continue working on rest and playing positions,

practice

bow

hold, practice the

movement poem, "Up

like a

Rocket"

The Fourth Lesson:

Re-teach and review third lesson

Check

resting

and playing positions, have student move violin from

resting to playing positions without help

Have a focus

activity

Check bow hold

Review poem, "Up

like a

Rocket"
left

Teach "Finger Taps" (see

hand

activities)

Practice Assignments: Practice violin and

bow hold,

review

"Up Like

Rocket," practice "Finger Taps," continue expanding focus level by

listening to longer pieces while holding violin

The

Fifth Lesson:

36

Re-teach and review fourth lesson

Have
Have Have

student echo clap various rhythms (see repertoire bibliography)

student air

bow

various rhythms in a paper towel tube

student air

bow rhythms on

violin

Check focus by having student hold

pieces

violin under chin

and

listen to longer

Have

student step in place while holding violin under chin

Practice Assignments:

Have

student

warm up

with

"Up

like a

Rocket" and

"Finger Taps," practice bowing rhythms on their box violin, have student
practice walking around the house with violin under their chin.

The Sixth Lesson:

Re-teach and review
fifth

lesson

Continue work on playing rhythms

Teach "Colors" (see

left

hand

activities)

Practice Assignments: review previous assignments, practice "Colors"

The Seventh Lesson:

D D
Re-teach and review sixth lesson

Secure posture,

bow hold and

violin hold

The Eighth Lesson:

Review

all

previous lessons

If the student is ready, graduate to real violin!

Introduce modified

bow and

violin hold

on

real instrument

Review previous

skills learned

on

real instrument

37

Continuing Lessons:

Continue work on building basic

activities.

skills,

using lots of review and fun

Have

students begin with playing rhythms, long and short notes on the

A and

strings.

Teach fingerings

for the

A and E string.

Introduce early pieces, watching for

consistency in skills learned earlier. Eventually have students add the

and

G strings to
scale.

their repertoire.

Teach basic theory concepts of the music alphabet, dynamics, and

rhythm and melody.

Develop aural

skills in

Elementary:

have observed that elementary school

is

the

most

common time

parents and

students consider taking violin lessons. In talking to parents and asking

why

they wait so

long to

start lessons, the

most

common answer
,d

have received

is

that students begin to

show personal

responsibility around the 3

or 4

th

grade, which leads the parents to

believe they are ready to take on the responsibility of learning to play an instrument.

During the

first

lessons students should be given personal responsibility but

continue to

involve parents.
detailed updates

either request that parents are present during lessons or

provide

on

my expectations and

student progress and schedule parent/teacher

conferences
students,

at least

once a month. Through

my experience with

elementary aged
their

find that they are familiar with routine

and consistent expectations from

school experiences, so a private teacher should help in establishing a routine within the
lessons.

have had students

who

expect immediate results and become easily discouraged

lesson.

or bored

when

they are not playing a piece on the

first

To

help avoid this

38

frustrating situation,

fill

lesson time with various

games and

activities that helps the

student build skill and keeps

them engaged
2^

in learning

music

until their physical skill

catches up with their interest.

The

First

Lesson:
for resting

Teach foot positioning

unnecessary
at this

and playing position (foot charts are

age)

Teach
a

violin hold with proper posture

Practice Assignments:

Work on moving

with violin from resting to

playing position, listen to music that includes violin playing

The Second Lesson:

Re-teach and review
first

lesson

Teach bow hold

Have

student echo clap various rhythms (see repertoire bibliography

Practice rhythms in a paper towel tube

Practice Assignments: Practice

bow hold and

playing rhythms in tube

The Third Lesson:

Re-teach and review second lesson

Combine bow and

string

violin

by having student play

first

sounds on the

Play long and short notes on

E and

A strings

Play rhythms on

string,

stopping between each set to check posture

Add rhythms on A

string,

stopping between each set to check posture

Slone, K. C. (1985). They're rarely too young

and never too old

"to twinkle!"

Ann

Arbor, MI: Shar

Products Co.

p.

22-27

39

Begin work on reading and writing rhythms

Practice Assignments:

Review

violin

and

bow hold,

practice rhythms

on

and E

string

The Fourth Lesson:

Re-teach and review third lesson

Review combinations of long and

short notes

on E and

Work on
E and

playing continuing rhythms without stops in between each set on

A strings separately
string crossings

Work on

between E and

A by playing one rhythm

on E

and the next on

Continue work on reading and writing rhythms

Practice Assignments:

Review previous assignments,

practice string

crossings and continuous rhythms, create

own combination of rhythms

The

Fifth Lesson:

Re-teach and review fourth lesson

Hear personal combination of rhythms

d

Review previous lessons

Continue work on reading and writing rhythms

Teach placement of the

first

finger

on E and

A string with and without the

bow
Teach "Colors" (see
a
left

hand

activities)

Practice Assignments:

Review previous assignments,

"Colors'"'

practice placing the

first finger,

memorize

40

The Sixth Lesson:

Re-teach and review
fifth

lesson

Work on

blue fingering (see "Colors" in

finger (whole step

left

hand

activities)

Add second Add

a d

away from

the

first)

third finger (half step

away from second)

Teach

A major scale (starting on open A)

Review previous assignments,
practice

Practice Assignments:

A major

scale

The Seventh Lesson:

Re-teach and review sixth lesson

Teach

different

ways

to play scale (rhythms, different durations, etc)

Teach

first

piece (view repertoire bibliography)

Practice Assignments:

Review previous assignments, review

scale,

practice piece

The Eighth Lesson:

Re-teach and review seventh lesson

Continue work on

first

piece

Practice Assignments:

Review previous assignments

Continuing Lessons:

Add more
add more scales
activities,

pieces, gradually increasing skill, teach playing

on the

and

strings,

in first position, introduce early etudes, include

many

fun games and

and teach music theory

skills

and

sight reading.

41

Jr.

High and High School:

Since

many

students are not introduced to playing instruments in school until

middle or high school orchestra, many students

until this time.

may

not consider taking private lessons

Less parental involvement should be expected, though involvement

should

still

be encouraged. Teachers should be honest about the work and time involved should discuss this with students regularly.
lessons, not realizing

in learning the violin

have had several

teenage students

who began

how much

time, effort, and skill went

into playing the violin.

They quickly became bored or embarrassed about

I

the pace of

their progression.

Through these experiences

lots

noticed that older students tend to be self-

conscious about their playing so

are a must.

of encouragement and challenging musical

activities

The

First

Lesson:

Teach posture, Teach

rest position,

and playing position

violin hold

Teach bow hold

Practice Assignment: Practice resting and playing position with violin,

practice

bow

hold

The Second Lesson:

Re-teach and review
first

lesson

Have

student

make

first

sounds on the instrument

Play combinations of long and short notes on the

string

Teach note durations

42

Have

student play note durations the teacher draws on dry erase board on

string

Practice Assignments:

Memorize note

durations, practice playing

combinations of long and short notes on the E string

The Third Lesson:

Re-teach and review second lesson

Continue work on the

Introduce the

string

A string A
string

Have

student play long and short notes on the

Teach rhythms on the

E and A

strings with stops in

between each (see

repertoire bibliography)

Teach "Finger Taps" (see

left

hand

activities)

Practice Assignments: Student continues

working on playing long and

Student practices

short notes

on the E

string

and adds the

A string.

rhythms assigned on

A and E strings.

The Fourth Lesson:

Re-teach and review third lesson

Continue work on E and

A strings
A
staff

Teach the

sl 1

finger

on E and

Teach recognition of A, B, E, and F# on the

Have

student find notes

on the keyboard and match with

violin

Teach "Colors" (see

left

hand

activities)

Practice Assignments: Practice playing the

st
1

finger in tune

43

The

Fifth Lesson:

Re-teach and review fourth lesson

Continue

st

finger
rd

work

Add

nd

and 3

fingers

Teach

major scale

starting

on open

Teach recognition of notes on

Begin work on
first

A and E strings on the staff

piece (see repertoire bibliography)

Practice Assignments:

Work on

A major scale and first piece

The Sixth Lesson:

Re-teach and review
fifth

lesson

Teach

different

ways

to play

A major scale (rhythms, different durations

and speeds)

Continue work on

first

piece

Continue sight reading

activities

Practice Assignments:

Review previous assignments

The Seventh Lesson:

Re-teach and review sixth lesson

Continue work on repertoire

D d

Add new repertoire

Practice Assignment:

Review previous assignments,

practice

new piece

The Eighth Lesson:

Re-teach and review seventh lesson

Continue work on repertoire

44

Add new

repertoire

Practice Assignment: Practice previous assignments

Continuing Lessons:

Continue adding new repertoire, eventually add

scales and etudes, and continue

and

string,

add new

work with theory and

sight reading.

Adult:

Adult students pose numerous challenges

students

to the

beginning teacher. The adult

effort required to play the violin

have taught often failed

in the first

to realize the time

and

well and

many gave up

few months

for lack

of time. This

is

an important

topic to discuss with an adult student before beginning lessons.

A teacher may even want

to set a required

weekly time commitment

for adult students so they can schedule in

practice hours. Adult students probably will not need fun activities to keep their interest

engaged, but music should

active listening

still

be presented in an interesting

way and

assign

many

and

skill

strengthening exercises. Adult students will also

move much
I

faster than

younger students, and should be assigned different

songs so
I

repertoire.

have found

that adult students rarely enjoy learning children's

assign easy classical pieces

instead.

strongly

recommend using

the Nicholas

Laoureux method (see repertoire

sources). Encourage adult students to listen to music that includes violin playing while

driving or at

home and

regularly monitor their listening

list

to

keep them accountable for

the assignment.

The

First Lesson:

Introduce the parts of the violin

45

Teach posture Teach

resting

and playing positions

Violin hold

Teach bow hold

Practice Assignments:

Memorize

parts of the violin, practice playing

and

resting positions, practice

bow hold,

listen to violin related

music

recordings

The Second Lesson:

D
Re-teach and review
Test parts of violin
first

lesson

Teach playing combinations of long and short notes on

D
d

A and E

Teach note durations, have student play note durations requested Teach the location of A and E on the
different durations
staff,

have student play

A and E with

from reading music

Assign an easy note reading exercise that uses only

repertoire bibliography)

A and E

strings (see

Practice Assignment:

Review previous assignments,

practice playing long

and short note combinations on

exercise, continue listening to

A and E, practice assigned note reading

music recordings

The Third Lesson:

Re-teach and review second lesson

Teach playing on

D and G strings G on the staff

Teach location of D and

46

Assign easy note reading exercise on the

D and G

strings

Assign note reading exercise on

all

4 strings

Practice Assignments: Practice note reading assignments, review previous

lessons

The Fourth Lesson:

Re-teach and review third lesson

Continue work on note reading

Add

the

first

finger to

all strings

Teach the location of A, E, B, and F# on the

staff

Assign note reading piece using open strings and

first

fingers

Practice Assignments: Practice note reading assignments, review previous

lessons

The

Fifth Lesson:

Re-teach and review fourth lesson

Teach the 2

nd

finger

on

all strings

Teach the location of B, F#, C#, and

Assign piece that uses open,
st
1
,

G# on the
n

staff

and 2

fingers

Practice Assignments: Continue

work on review and new

material

The Sixth Lesson:

Re-teach and review
fifth

lesson

Teach the

rd

finger

on

all strings

Teach the location of C, G, D, and

Teach the

A on the staff

A major scale and the D major scale

47

Assign beginner piece that uses

all

notes learned

Practice Assignments:

Work on new

piece

Continuing Lessons:

Add more

repertoire

and technical exercises, teach basic theory, and

continue work on sight reading.

Activity

and

Game

Ideas for Lessons

In

my

experience, implementing creative activities to teach basic skills keeps

students actively engaged in lessons and practice time.

When

choosing activities keep in

mind

the interests and learning style of your student. For example, if your student

responds well to visual cues, include activities that use visuals or that has students
reading or writing. If your student

is

more of an

aural learner, use a lot of modeling and

musical examples. If your student

is

a kinesthetic learner, have

them engage

in a lot

of

movement

rather than standing in

one place for the

is,

entire lesson. If

you are unsure of

what kind of learner your student

there are

many

quizzes and surveys you can find

online to find out what their learning style

is,

or you could simply try various activities

and see which ones work

best.

The following pages

are descriptions of activities that

have used successfully

to

teach different skills and musical concepts.

They

are arranged in each category

by

difficulty.

The

categories are as follows:

Hand Activities - for the development of the bow hand Hand Activities - for the development of the fingers Movement Activities - for the development of musicality and coordination Listening Activities - for the development of the ear Theory and Sight Reading Activities - for the development of the mind and eye Other Activities - for fun and reinforcement
Right
Left

4X

Right

Hand

Activities

Up

like a

Rocket

Skill:

Developing the

bow

hold

Ages: Preschool - Early Elementary

Materials: Violin

bow
that is designed for the

This

is

bow exercise

purpose of focusing on your

bow

hold while shifting the position of your arm.

Start with

your

bow hand

at

your belly button and the

bow

stick standing straight

up.

The bow

should remain horizontal to the floor during the activity.

Up

like

a rocket (move
the rain

bow

up, pointing towards the sky)

(move bow back down to starting point) Back and forth like a choo-choo train (move bow back and forth in a smooth motion) Round and round and round like the sun (move bow in 3 large circles) Up on your head, curve your pinky and thumb! (place frog on top of head, keeping the
stick straight

Down like

and check for correct

bow hold) 26

Bumper Thumb
Skill:

Keeping the thumb bent while holding the bow

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin

bow
this activity to teach students to

developed

maintain a correct

bow

hold, touch

thumb knuckle

to various parts

of the body such as the nose, forehead, knee, bellybutton,

opposite elbow,

etc.

Activity used frequently

by Suzuki method

teachers,

unknown

origins

49

Touch and Away

Skill:

Placing the

bow on

the strings

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
to string

Have student touch bow

different parts

and remove again without making a sound

at

of the

bow

(tip,

middle, and frog).

Rock

n' Roll

Skill: String crossings

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
n' roll"

Have student "rock

between designated

strings without

making a sound.

See

Saw
Playing string crossings

Skill:

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow

Have
Start

student rock between strings, stopping to play a rhythm on each string.

with crossing between neighboring strings,

move

to skip strings until ending with

crossing between

E and

G.

29

Activity taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA

Activity taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA GA

Activity taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

50

Left

Hand

Activities

Finger Taps
Dexterity in fingers

Skill:

Ages:

Any
None
this left

Materials:

developed

hand dexterity exercise based on similar exercises taught

to

me

by several of my

own

teachers. This exercise allows students to practice

moving

their

fingers independently.

Have

students hold

arm up

as if they

were holding a
to their

violin, with

their wrist turned in,

and tap each finger a

is

set

number of times

thumb.

more

advanced version of this

to

have students tap fingers on the strings

in different

positions. This exercise not only teaches finger independence but builds the technique

ability

of moving the fingers from the base joints. This activity can build upon

itself by

having students strengthen their fingers and striking their thumb or strings with enough
force to

make

a sound.

Colors
Fingering combinations

Skill:

Ages:

Any
None
in a

Materials:

There are basically five possible combinations of fingerings on the violin

single position.

These can be taught and remembered easily by associating colors with

are:

each combination. The combinations and color associations

2 3 4

YELLOW

23 4 =

BLUE

12 3 4

RED

12 34

GREEN

1234 =

ORANGE
can identify half and whole step combinations,
in

Using

this code, students

move

their fingers to

form the combinations, play different combinations, and color

30

fingerings on their music.

See the
Skill:

Little

Monkey

Fingering a scale on one string

Age: Preschool-Elementary
Materials: Violin and

bow, song

text

Have

the student sing the song while fingering the notes, and then have student

play with rhythm while teacher sings song.

See the little monkey (open A) st Climbing up the ladder (1 finger on A) nd Climbing way up high (2 finger on A) r Pick a pink banana (3 finger on A) rd See the little monkey (3 finger on A) nd Climbing down the ladder (2 finger on A) st Climbing way down low ( finger on A) 3 Eat a pink banana (open A)
'

Walking Up and
Skill:

Down the

Stairs

Playing five-note scale on one string

30

Based on fingering
This

activity taught

by Emily Williams, violin teacher

in

Wheaton, IL

game was

taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA

52

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
on teaching the
lh

developed

this activity as a variation

nd
,

A major scale.

Have
the

student walk up the stairs: open,

st

rd

fingers.

Have student walk down

stairs:

th
,

rd

nd
,

st

open.

Running Up and
Skill:

Down the

Stairs

Playing five-note scale on one string

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
the

This activity

is

same

as

"Walking Up and

Down the

Stairs," but at a fast

tempo. This activity can be done with slurs or separate bows to teach coordination

between

fast fingers

and

fast or

slow bow.

Skipping
Skill:

Up and Down

the Stairs
rd

Independent fingers, interval of a 3

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
and finger independence.

developed

this activity to teach early scales in 3rds

Have

the student play ascending and descending intervals of 3rds

nd
,

on different

strings.

Open, 2

st

rd
,

nd
,

th
,

nd
,

rd
,

st

nd
,

open.

53

Hot Cross Buns/Cold Cross Buns

Skill:

Playing the 2

nd

finger in

whole and half steps away from the

st

finger

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
"Hot Cross Buns"
starting

Have

the student play the song,

on a high 2
nd

nd

finger,

and then have the student play "Cold Cross Buns",

use this activity

starting

on a low 2

finger.

32
I

also

when

introducing the idea of major versus minor keys.

Movement

Activities

Follow the Leader

Skills:

Focus, coordinated movement, watching the teacher, leadership, creativity

Ages: Preschool - Early Elementary

Materials:

None
I

picked up this activity from teaching groups of children, but

in private lessons.

found

it

also

works well

use this simple activity to teach skills such as holding the

violin, posture,

and moving

to the beat.

Have

student mirror the actions of the teacher

with or without a violin, then

let

the student lead.

Add music

for variation.

Move
Skill:

to the

Beat

Feeling steady pulse or meter

Ages:

Any
Music recordings

Materials:

Activity taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA

54

learned this activity from teaching general music in elementary school. Playing

a recording or a piece on the violin, have students

learn to feel a strong outer pulse in music.

move

in

some way

to the beat so they

Movements

include but are not limited to

marching, walking, skipping, patching, clapping, tapping and swaying.

Listening Activities
Visit

Elmo and Cookie Monster

Aural recognition of high and low

Skill:

Ages: Preschool-Kindergarten
Materials:

Toy Elmo and Cookie Monster,

is

violin

Elmo's house
Monster's house
is

up high

(the high notes played

on the

violin),

and Cookie

down low

(the

low notes played on the

is

violin).

Play a series of high

and low notes and have student identify who's house

going higher or lower and have student guess

being visited, then play scales

who

is

will be visited based

on the direction

of the scale

33
.

Rhythmic Words
Skill:

Creating rhythms

Ages:

Any
None

Materials:

designed this activity to teach students rhythm. Give students examples of how

to turn familiar

words or phrases

into rhythms. Start with the student's

name and have

This

game was taken from Benjamin

Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA

55

student speak and clap the rhythm of their name, then

move on

to other categories

(example categories: favorite food, favorite place,

states, countries, etc.).

Open
Skill:

String

Memory

Aural recognition of open strings

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
game
to teach

developed

this

my

students to play by ear. Play open strings, have

student close eyes or turn around and identify which string

is

being played without

looking.

Active Listening
Listening to music

Skill:

Ages:

Any

Materials: Writing supplies, music recordings

This activity

is

based on

many

activities

conducted while teaching music in an

elementary school. Prepare worksheets to focus listening as

homework

or an in-lesson

activity.

For example, have students follow along with music as they

listen,

draw

contours of what they hear in the music, and identify simple forms.

56

Theory and Sight-Reading

Fruit Pie

Activities

Skills:

Playing rhythm, composing

Ages: Preschool-Elementary
Materials: Pie pan, fruit die-cuts or toy fruit

Teach rhythms represented by each

Quarter note =

fruit

from the key provided below:

GRAPE
= AP-PLE

Pair of eighth notes

Triplet

= STRAW-BER-RY
sixteenth-notes

Group of four

= HUCK-LE-BER-RY

Eighth note plus two sixteenths

= GOOSE-BER-RY
in

Note

that these

rhythms correspond with beginning rhythms

Suzuki method

book

"Twinkle Variations."
This activity can be done in various ways, and more complex rhythms can be

added once these basic rhythms are learned. Begin by having the student clap or play
each rhythm until
it

becomes

familiar, then

have the student bake

their

own

pie out of

rhythms, playing each rhythmic ingredient in order.

You can

also start with a full pie

4

and

have the student play rhythms as they are removed from the pie/

Words

inspired by "Blue Jello" from Yurko,

M.

(1992). Music

Mind Games. Miami, FL: Warner

Brothers Publishing, Inc., 78.

57

Popsicle Stick Dictation

Skill:

Reading rhythm

Ages:

Any

Materials: Popsicle sticks

This

is

a useful activity for teaching the visual recognition of rhythms. Arrange

the popsicle sticks to create various rhythms (one popsicle stick for a quarter note,

two

joined by a third for a pair of eighth notes,

etc.).

Have

the student clap or play the

rhythms and create

their

own

rhythms. This activity can become more complex as longer

rhythms are created and performed. This

counting systems using syllables (such as

activity

can also be used to teach rhythmic

or numbers (such as

ta, ti-ti)

1,

2&).

Musical Math
Skill:

Reading note durations

Ages: Elementary - Adult

Materials: Writing supplies

Prepare a worksheet of math problems using note durations rather than numbers.

Begin with simple addition and subtraction, move on to division and multiplication.

36

Activity based on "Blue Jello" rhythm dictation activities from Yurko, M. (1992). Music Mind Games. Miami, FL: Warner Brothers Publishing, Inc., 81-85.
36

See Adair, A.

J.

(1884). Ready-To-Use
Inc., 72.

Music Activities

Kit.

WestNyack, NY: Parker

Publishing

Company,

58

Other

Activities

Error Hunt

Skill:

Playing position and posture

Ages:

Any

Materials: Violin and

bow
proper playing position and posture. Have
gets into playing position with

developed

this activity to reinforce

student turn around or close their eyes.

The teacher

instrument but makes

the violin

some

error such as having

an incorrect

bow

hold, slouching, having

on the wrong shoulder,

etc.

Have

the student then look and try to find

all

the

errors.

Then, give the student a turn to provide errors that the teacher will

find.

Finish the

Song

Skill:

Repertoire

memory

Ages:

Any
bows
familiar piece and stops after a

Materials: Student and teacher violins and

The teacher or student begins playing a

few

measures or phrases, the remaining participant completes the piece starting where the
first

person stopped.

37

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Skill:

Reinforcing rhythms in a song

Age: Preschool-Elementary
Materials: Student and teacher violins and
'

bows

As taught by Rebecca Sandrok,

violin teacher in Chicago, IL

59

The teacher begins playing

the tune of Old

MacDonald Had

a Farm, having the

student take over at different times during "everywhere a

moo-moo," "here a cow,

there a

cow," which correspond

to

Twinkle rhythms, and "E-I-E-I-O."

Draw
Skill:

a Violin

Learning the Parts of the Violin

Ages:

Any

Materials: Writing materials

developed
that

this activity to create variety

from simply looking

listed.

at

a picture or

diagram
violin

some one

else created

and learning parts

Have

the student

draw a

and

bow and

label all parts

on each.

Activity Sources

Ready-To-Use Music
Author: Audrey
J.

Activities Kit

Adair

Publisher: Parker Publishing

Company,

Inc.:

West Nyack,

NY

Date:

884
Designed for older elementary to high school students, these theory worksheets

are very useful to private teachers as

homework

or an in-lesson activity.

The worksheets

cover topics such

scales

as,

reading the

staff,

reading rhythm, recognizing pitch direction, meter,

and key signatures,

intervals,

symbols and terms, composition, and ear

training.

Activity taken from Benjamin Baxter, violin teacher in Winder,

GA

60

A Galaxy of Games

for the

Music Class

Authors: Margaret Athey and

Publisher: Parker Publishing

Gwen

Hotchkiss
Inc.:

Company,

West Nyack,

NY

Date: 1975.

Though designed

for the

K-12 school music classroom,

this

book

is

an extensive

source of games and activities that can be used in a private lesson setting as well as a

group

setting.

A Galaxy of Games for the Music

is

Class gives instructions for the

game

and the making of materials. The book

level.

divided up into categories, and further by grade

The categories

are:

Games

for

Rhythmic Response, Games

for

Reading and

Writing Rhythm,
Notation,

Games
for

for

Reading and Writing Melody, Games for Learning Music

Games

Ear Training,

Games

for

Developing Singing, Games about

Instruments,

Composers and

Literature,

Games about Musical

Games

for General

Review, Games Just for Fun, and Musical Word Games.

Music Mind Games

Author: Michiko Yurko
Publisher:

Warner Brothers Publishing,

Inc.:

Miami, FL

Date: 1992

Music Mind Games was developed

to teach

music theory

in a

pre-K

lh

to

grade

general music class by an innovative teacher.

The games described

in this

book

utilize

materials that are available for purchase, but

many of the

materials can be re-created by a

teacher for use in private lessons. This

visually and mentally stimulating.

book covers a multitude of games

skills

that are

The games cover music theory

such as the

61

music alphabet,

line

and space notes, rhythm, melodic and rhythmic

note names on the grand
staff,

dictation, note

and

rest durations, meter,

music symbols, tempo,

scales,

chords, major and minor keys, and

"Musopoly"

(a musical

game of Monopoly). These

more engaging and

games can help a

meaningful.

private teacher

make

learning music theory

They're rarely too young and never too old "to twinkle
Author:

!"

Kay

Collier Slone

Publisher: Shar Publications

Company: Ann Arbor, MI

Date: 1985

This text was written as a supplementary guide to Suzuki violin teachers working

with very young students.

It

includes several chapters on activity and

game

ideas for

both private lessons and group lessons that are age appropriate for preschool thru early

elementary students.

Selecting Repertoire

Repertoire Sources

The following music books

repertoire

are suggestions for use in choosing beginning student

and technical exercises. The

list is

arranged alphabetically beginning with

into technique repertoire.

sources or performing repertoire and

moving

62

Performing Repertoire:

52 Masterpieces for Violin

& Piano

Compiler/ Arranger: Roger Halle

Publisher: Belwin Mills Publishing Corporation:

Miami, FL

Date: 1942

Though an old

source, the 52 arrangements of classical and folk pieces add fresh

variety to the standard beginning repertoire. All of the pieces are in

first

position but

some have more complex bowing

students.

styles that

make them

appropriate for

more advanced

A Practical Method for Violin

Author: Nicholas Laoureux
Publisher: G. Schirmer: Milwaukee,

WI

Date: 1907

This one volume beginner method book moves

at

a gradual pace beginning with

exercises on open strings and slowly adding each finger on each string.

The method

is

great for teaching sight reading and for introducing the fingers one at a time.

The method

is

especially appropriate for middle school

adult students. This source also includes

original repertoire in the

form of student/teacher duets.

63

Easy Classics for Violin

Compiler/Arranger: Peter Spitzer
Publisher:

Mel Bay

Publications, Inc.: Pacific,

MO

Date: 1997

This source includes beginning level arrangements of familiar and unfamiliar

classical duets.

The

violin

part

is

the

melody while
solo.

violin 2 serves as the

harmony, so

the violin

part can easily be

performed as a

A piano accompaniment is also

to the William Tell

available.

The pieces range from Tchaikovsky's Beauty and the Beast

Overture by Rossini.

Fiddle

Rhythms

Author: Sally O'Reilly

Publisher: Neil A. Kjos

Music Company: San Diego,

CA

Date: 1992

This source

is

a collection of fun and easy pieces that are delightfully illustrated.

Each section teaches a new rhythm by presenting exercises and

emphasize a specific rhythm.

original pieces that

First

Things

First

Composer/ Arranger: Robert

Publisher: Neil A. Kjos

S. Frost

Music Company: San Diego,

CA

Date: 2000

64

A collection of original

pieces by Frost and arrangements of folk and classical

tunes, these easy beginning pieces are set

up as duets but can easily be performed as a

solo. This

book includes songs

that are played

on

all

four strings using blue and red

fingerings (see "colors" in left

hand

activities).

Solos for Festival and Fun

Compilers/ Arrangers: Albert Stoutamire and Kenneth Henderson

Publisher:

Mel Bay

Publications, Inc.: Pacific,

MO

Date: 1985

These arrangements of classical pieces are

simpler than others. This
is

in first position,

with some being

not a source for early pieces but can be used after a few

months.

Solos for

Young

Violinists

Compiler/ Arranger: Barbara Barber

Publisher:

Summy-Birchard,

Inc.:

Miami, FL

Date: 1997

This six volume collection quickly advances beyond beginner level in the

first

volume, but the

first

few arrangements are unique

to this collection.

The

classical

arrangements are readily enjoyed by students of all ages. Piano accompaniment and
listening

CDs

are also available.

Volume one

also includes

st 1

position scales as

preparations for each of the early pieces.

65

Suzuki Violin Method

Compiler/ Arranger: Shinichi Suzuki
Publisher:

Summy-Birchard

Inc.:

Miami, Florida

Date: 1978

Created for use in Shinichi Suzuki's highly successful violin method, these books
are used

by thousands of teachers around the world and have become the standard
is

in

beginning repertoire. Though intense method training

an important part of teacher

education in the Suzuki method, one does not have to be a Suzuki teacher to use the

method books

as a source for repertoire.

The

ten books are carefully arranged to teach

all

the skills necessary to play the violin in a graded progression starting with Twinkle,

Twinkle

Little

Star and ending with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in

E minor,

Op. 64.

The books combine arrangements of popular

edited by Suzuki.

folk tunes and standard violin repertoire,

all

The most

recent edition

was revised by Suzuki researchers and

teachers after the death of Suzuki.

Each volume has a

CD and piano accompaniment

available separately.

Technique Repertoire:
Easiest Elementary Method, Op. 38

Author: Wohlfahrt
Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc.: Milwaukee,

WI

Date: 1967

The primary source

method includes

for beginning etudes

and technical exercises,

this

time proven

aurally pleasing teacher

accompaniments with each exercise. The

66

graded lessons begin with open strings and add fingers gradually. The book also includes
simple scales with teacher accompaniments.

Scale Studies for Violin

Author:

J.

Hrimaly

Publisher: Carl Fischer

Music Library:

New York, NY

Date: 1900

Scales and arpeggios in

all

keys are arranged starting with

st

position and

moving

up

to

cover multiple octaves, shifting, and playing in

P -5
l

position.

The

st

position

scales

and arpeggios are a useful source for beginning violin students.

School of Violin Technics, Op.

Author: Otakar Sevcik

1,

Part

Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc.: Milwaukee,

WI

Date: 1933

Part

of Op.

presents valuable exercises in the

first

position.

Though normally

used as mechanical exercises for intermediate to advanced students, a beginner can learn
important fingering skills from the earlier exercises. The exercises cover
finger combinations in first position
all

the possible

on the

violin in the

form of repetitive runs.

The School of Violin Techics, Book

Author: Henry Schradieck

Publisher: G. Schirmer, Inc.: Milwaukee,

WI

67

Date: 1967

The

first

volume of this

collection includes scale-like exercises that build

dexterity and quickness of fingers in various positions.

The

first

section of this

volume

is

a valuable source for exercises useful to beginners to

become comfortable with playing

different fingering combinations

on

all strings.

Administration
In addition to teaching duties, administrative duties are also a part of a violin

teacher's job description.

The following

duties are a

list

of communication and record

keeping suggestions for a violin teacher.

Payment Receipts
Keeping payment receipts are not only important for
filing taxes, but
I

also use

them

to

keep track of payments received. Otherwise,

it

is

easy to overlook a payment or

misplace a check. Payment receipt books can be purchased from an office supply store or
created as a Microsoft Excel or

Word document. On
date.

the receipt,

list

the amount, the

payment method/check number, and the

from a previous payment or
if

Also make a mark

if money is carried

over

money

is still

owed.

Progress Reports

The lesson plan template provided includes a

section for progress assessment for

each lesson. Consistently maintaining these records each week will provide a concrete
record that
is

easily transferred to an assessment grade

and provided

to students

and

68

parents.

Keeping updated progress reports

will also aid a teacher if a parent conference is

called.

Letters to Parents

An

initial letter

should be sent

at the

beginning of each semester that outlines the

studio policies and schedule of holidays. This letter serves as a reminder for parents and

students of teacher expectations.

In

my

experience, regular communication with parents will aid in a student's

success because their involvement and support encourages the student to succeed.

Update parents on progress and

students.

skills learned regularly

through email or

letters sent

with

Parent Conferences
If

behavior issues arise from a school aged student, a parent conference

may be

scheduled.

The purpose of this meeting

is

to find

ways

to stop inappropriate or

unacceptable behavior before considering a forced withdrawal. Encourage parents to

schedule a conference
if they

have something important

to discuss, rather than

making an

unexpected phone

call, talking

during a student's lesson time, or delaying another

student's lesson by talking afterwards. In severe cases, immediate attention

may be

required but usually a parent can

come

in

on another day.

69

Newsletter

Though time consuming, a simple newsletter

upcoming events and scheduling
anticipated breaks and holidays,
conflicts.

will help students

keep up with

A newsletter can include a calendar with

that are optional or required,

upcoming concerts

and

even a featured

violinist or

composer. This activity can also be an opportunity for a

writing skills in preparing essays for the

teacher to develop their

own knowledge and

newsletter. Consider having students submit their

own

articles or art

work

for the

newsletter.

A newsletter should be sent out at least once a semester.

Additional Research

A professional teacher is one who is not only proficient in his subject, but one
who
continually seeks to develop his skills and understanding in the field of education.

Beginning teachers should always enhance their knowledge

through research and reading. There
is

in the field

of pedagogy

a wealth of information available to teachers

written by other professionals in the field. Consider getting subscriptions to string or

education related magazines. These will provide regular reminders to expand ideas and
teaching methods. In addition to reading published articles, online databases are
available to search unpublished theses, doctoral dissertations, and

more on

the subject of

string

pedagogy. There are also hundreds of books relating to the subject that can be
to teachers.

immensely helpful

One should

take the information provided in these pages and expand the ideas to

meet individual teaching

styles

and individual student's needs. This

is

only a starting

point where suggestions meet practice.

Some of the

thoughts provided here

may

not be

70

useful to

some

teachers; nevertheless, the idea that should be taken

away

is

that teaching

takes organization, preparation, creativity, and objectives.

71

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